Opportunities for EU-India Research Through the EU’s 7 th Research Framework Programme Indraneel Ghose Science and Technology Section European Commission Delegation in India

Main Messages What is the EU’s S&T Framework Programme (FP)? What does FP7 offer for Indian (and other non EU countries’) researchers/ institutions ? What are the advantages of participating in FP7 ? The possible map to success in FP7 The bigger picture : EU – India cooperation in S&T How can I obtain further info ?

Message 1: FP7 - A Unique and High-quality Research Programme l EC responsible for EU research policy and actions (FP) – Complements R&D in EU Member States l The next FP (FP7) is the largest international R&D Programme l Budget 54 billion Euros (about 70 billion US$); period 2007 – 2013

Message 2: FP7 Welcomes Indian (and other non EU country) Participation l FP7 open to / welcomes participation by Indian researchers and institutions (public and private) l Opportunities include funded participation in multi- partner, multi-country R&D projects, fellowships to and from EU countries, etc. l Researchers are also encouraged to peer review (evaluate) proposals submitted to the European Commission

Message 3: Many Scientific, Networking and Financial Benefits of Participating In EU FPs l Application process greatly simplified, especially for “non- coordinator” partners l Totally independent peer-review of research proposals and full feedback on evaluation outcome l For successful projects : participation in high quality, multi country/ multi partner projects l Access to and sharing of knowledge across whole research consortium l Creation of new networks and direct contacts with research partners in Europe, e.g. joint workshops, visits, exchanges etc l Possibilities ranging from major (multi-million Euro) projects to smaller actions

Message 4: “It’s easier than it looks” (for good science) l More than 80 proposals with Indian partners retained in FP6 l Total Commission support to projects with Indian partners 250 M€, of which the Indian partners share is more than 11 M€ l In addition, 35 Indian researchers have been granted fellowships under the various Marie Curie Actions

Framework Programme 7 (2007 – 2013) Specific Programmes (SP) l Cooperation – Collaborative Research ( B€) l Ideas – Frontier research (7.510 B€) l People – Human Potential (4.750 B€) l Capacities – Research capacity (4.097 B€) + l Joint Research Centre (1.751 B€) l Euratom (nuclear energy; 4.061B€) The Total FP7 budget is B€

SP1 - Cooperation 9 Thematic Priorities 1.Health (6.100 B€) 2.Food, agriculture and biotechnology (1.935 B€) 3.Information and communication technologies (9.050 B€) 4.Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies (3.475 B€) 5.Energy (2.350 B€) 6.Environment (including climate change - (1.890 B€) 7.Transport (including aeronautics - (4.160 B€) 8.Socio-economic sciences and the humanities (0.623 B€) 9.Space (1.430 B€) 10.Security (1.400 B€) Budget B€

Two types of international participation across the Cooperation themes l Opening of all Cooperation thematic areas to partner countries  minimum consortium requirement: 3 partners from 3 different EU member states or associated states l Within each thematic area – Specific International Cooperation Activity topics  minimum consortium requirement: 2 partners from 2 different EU member states or associated states and 2 partners from 2 different non EU countries – For India, China and Russia, the partners can be from 2 different provinces

FP7 SP2 - Ideas l The programme will enhance the dynamism, creativity and excellence of European research at the frontier of knowledge by supporting “investigator- driver” research l The activities will be implemented by the European Research Council l The European Research Council website: erc.europa.eu Budget B€

SP3 - People l A coherent set of “Marie Curie” actions - addressing researchers at all stages of their careers – initial training, lifelong training and career development through fellowships for Europeans to train outside Europe and non-Europeans in Europe, excellence awards l The Marie Curie programme website cordis.europa.eu/mariecurie-actions Budget B€

SP4 - Capacities This part of the FP will enhance research and innovation capacities throughout Europe and ensure its optimal use through: l Development of research infrastructure l Research for the benefit of SMEs l Supporting development of regional research-driven clusters l Unlocking research potential in the EU region l Bringing science and society closer l Activities of international cooperation (targeted) to support international participation across the whole of FP7 Budget B€

Other FP7 Calls are currently open! Of interest of India: l Cooperation: Total call amount for all themes B€; Most deadlines mid April - early May 2007 l Ideas: Total call amount M€; Deadline 29 April 2007 l Capacities – International Cooperation: Total call amount 17 M€ (including 3 M€ for the Asia Region); Deadline 2 May 2007 For more information: cordis.europa.eu/fp7

Funding Schemes l Collaborative Projects – aimed at developing new knowledge, new technology, products, demonstration activities, common resources for research l Networks of Excellence – support to joint programme of activities to integrate activities in a given field l Coordination and Support Actions – Support to activities aimed at coordinating and supporting search activities and policies l Support for “Frontier” Research – Support to investigator-driven projects funded in the framework of the European Research Council l Support for training and career development of researchers – Support for the implementation of the Marie Curie actions l Research for the benefit of specific groups – Support to research projects for the benefit of particular groups, in particular SMEs

The Roadmap to Participation Awareness of possibilities for participation Possible Interest (by examining Specific Programme, Work Programme, call for Proposals, e.g. Cordis – Joining / Finding applicant research consortia Input into preparation of research proposals (Proposal submission by Coordinator) (completely electronic) (Evaluation) If successful: Negotiation (by Coordinator), Funding

Finding a partner l Build on your bilateral contacts with the European countries to join a consortium l In the partner search section of the Cordis website l Through events such as this one

The Evaluation process l Each proposal is evaluated by 3 or more independent evaluators l Evaluation criteria include relevance to the work programme, S&T excellence, potential impact of the project, quality of the consortium, quality of the management team, mobilisation of resources l Thresholds for each of the criteria and overall threshold have to be achieved for a consortium to be invited for contract negotiations. l You will know the preliminary results months after the close of the call

Evaluators l Each project submitted for funding is evaluated by 3 or more independent evaluators. l The Commission selects independent expert evaluators l If selected, usually involves 1 week in Brussels (honorarium, travel and subsistence covered by the EU) l Interested??? Register online at

India and the European Commission funded Research Some Milestones 2001: Signature of the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement 2006:Strong support for S&T Cooperation at the 7 th EU-India Summit in October 2006:3 rd Joint Steering Committee Meeting in November calling for a more strengthened and strategic partnership 2007: India-EU Ministerial Science Conference 2007: Possible Renewal and strengthening of the Cooperation Agreement

Principles: Shared Vision l Win-Win l Equal partnership l Public acceptance on both sides  For example Energy Environment Global change Human health

Recommendations l Establishment of a critical number of Joint EU- India nodes for networking innovation systems in different regions of India and Europe l New symmetric program for promoting S&T collaboration and mobility with joint funding l Combined effort to create joint infrastructures for advanced research in both India and EU l Follow-up funding systems for collaborating EU- India scientist networks

Information Sources General information on research: General information on FP6: cordis.europa.eu/fp6 General information on FP7: cordis.europa.eu/fp7 EU Delegation in India Any questions??